Abstract [en]

Can children play their way to a more eco-friendly lifestyle?

The answer is yes, if you ask Patricia Rawecka, CEO of the company Gro Play AB. She has designed and developed three puzzles for children aged 3-5 years that are both eco-friendly and eco-educational. Given today's extreme consumer culture, she believes that with good design, pedagogy and children's play she can motivate the next generation to a more sustainable lifestyle. Both the vision for her company and also the starting point of this graduation project is to give children a chance to through their play create a foundation for a sustainable lifestyle. A broadening of the range for ages 6-8 years were in the context of interest to the company. On these grounds this projects problem formulation was written;

- How should a game or a toy that holds a play value for children aged 6-8 years and is eco-educational, eco-friendly with a high play value be developed?

Ten weeks of work finally resulted in the game "Environmental Heroes". The project was implemented in phases when it initially created a framework based on theories, interviews and information from Patricia. This then formed the basis for the remaining phases of the product development process.

The game "Environmental Heroes" consists of two playing surfaces and a three-dimensional element in the form of fold-out walls on which the game's avatars can climb. The game is to quickly collect window with "good scenarios" on the lower playfield and then replace the current non-environmental scenarios on the upper playfield. After use, the game is easily folded into a flat package and all of the chips, avatars and parts are printed like puzzle pieces into the playfields. In doing so, the game is easy to carry. The material of the game consists of FSC cardboard covered with PP-foil who like the existing products in the range is and varnished. This also makes the game easy to recycle.

The construction is possible to manufacture as it stays within the limits of construction. But there are still opportunities for improvement and there for 'Environmental Heroes' is not yet a finished product. More tests with different combinations of the target group and a prototype in the right material would be beneficial.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages

2011. , p. 54

Keyword [sv]

Miljö, barn, spel, miljöspel, miljöutbildning

National Category

Design Pedagogy Business Administration Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics